1 week of slamming.

[Ya-Man]

Pool's getting to look like a pond! Am I correct to ignore all levels except FC, CC and CYA till pool is clear? I vacuum to wate everyday, fill pool with more water, test for FC and CC (.5 or less) and brush. I have a good filter with zeoSand. Should I backwash and rinse the filter everyday? I have a sock on my skimmer basket. Should I keep that on? Pool is getting worse everyday! Please help. I have a Taylor 2006 test kit and find it very helpful.
Thanks

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Post up your test results.
You should not vac to waste unless you know you are getting out large amounts of solid debris.
The sand filter should be backwashed when the filter pressure rises by 25% over clean filter pressure.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[Ya-Man]

Thanks for your response. I am a first time pool owner. I did see all of the chemisty, however I thought I saw somewhere (When slamming which is what I'm doing for the last week) that I don't need to worry about other levels until pool is clear. Should I start making sure all other levels are being tested and adjusted? I am losing CYA which allows me to add less and less Chlorine. The pressure hangs at around 10. I'll wait to backwash till 12.5 I do only vacuum to waste when I'm trying to get the dead algae out which is daily. I vaccum to my skimmer only because the bottom drains take out too much water too quickly.

 

[mknauss]

Did you do a full set of chemistry tests before the SLAM? No need to do the pH, TA, or CH right now.

Filter out dead algae. No reason to go to waste with that. Be sure you are following the SLAM Process

 

[Ya-Man]

Thanks. Following Slam process. Should I not vacuum up the dead algae piles that I see? Should I use my pool cleaner (Dolphin Triton PS)? Should I brush more than once daily? Pool is getting greener and darker than when I started.

 

[mknauss]

If the pool is getting greener, then you have a testing problem or are not following the SLAM process.

What is your CYA? What FC are you maintaining? Did you lower your pH to 7.2 before you started?

You should vac up the dead algae piles. But no need to vac to waste.

I would not use the pool cleaner until you can clearly see the bottom of the pool.

 

[Ya-Man]

My starting PH was 7.4 CYA is now at 38 and keeping FC at 16. CC is at .5 or less.

 

[mknauss]

If your pool is still green, you should be testing and adding chlorine every couple hours. Once you get to blue and cloudy, you can go to 3-4 times per day.

 

[Ya-Man]

I went to see the pool today (2pm) and here's my levels:
FC 13.5 CYA 35
CC .5
PH 7.8 (I'm still slamming)
Alk 90
CAL 190
Water has a rust color to it now. I vacuumed to filter (not waste). Brushed pool for good 30 mins.
Will keep doing for another 5 days (total would be 2 weeks and then start over????)
10 pm: FC 11.5 CC .5

 

[duraleigh]

It appears that your pool has iron in it. Can you post a complete set of test results please?

 

[Ya-Man]

FC 12.5
CC .5
PH 8.1
CH 158
CYA 30
Iron .7

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah, the iron in your water has precipitated out and is now visible. We can help get it better for now but it is a continual long term problem if you keep the same water source.

For now, continue the SLAM. In addition to the SLAM, you have to get the visible iron out of your pool. Is that sock on your skimmer collecting rust particles? Folks use polyfill (like pillow stuffing) in their skimmers to remove some of it and the filter (which need to be cleaned) will catch some of it although I don't know anything about that glass filter media or much about zeosand.

I would suggest you continue the SLAM until you pass the OCLT. Your pool water will probably not be clean but you will have removed the organics. Then, let the FC drift back down to about 5 ppm and the iron will slowly turn back to solution and your water will clear.

Do you have a water softener on your domestic water?

 

[Ya-Man]

Thanks. I do have a sock on my skimmer basket. I'll get some poly-fill also.
I do have water softener (salt bin) and another big canister looking filter. Not sure what it is. Waiting on a call from the company who installed. Earlier on I emptied 40% of the pool and refilled with our well water. Pool looked good but Calcium hardness was really low so I started bypassing the water filters when filling pool daily after vacuuming some water to waste. I'm now wondering if this is why I have all this metal in my pool now?

 

[duraleigh]

I'm now wondering if this is why I have all this metal in my pool now?

Probably. I would figure out a way to get softened water as your pool water and begin using it immediately. Eventually, you can end up with a pool that is essentially iron free. VERY easy to add calcium it it tests too low.

Continue the SLAM and keep filtering the iron out. Does that skiimer sock catch any of the iron (brownish/greenish/orangeish?)

 

[Ya-Man]

Will do. The sock does catch some rust color. Maybe with the polyfill and the sock we'll catch more. I'll keep SLAMing. And turn those filters back on to our well water. In researching online I have a water softener and some other big filter.

 

[mknauss]

some other big filter.

See if it is a Green Sand filter. That is used for iron removal.

 

[Ya-Man]

There's no markings on it and Still waiting for return phone call. It's not to transparent. Pretty sure it's for filtering metals. The neigborhood (I just learned) is full of iron wells!

 

[Ya-Man]

It does look like this:

 

[duraleigh]

And turn those filters back on to our well water.

I am not sure what you mean. Mechanical filters will not filter enough iron to make any difference. Same with Green Sand filters.......not nearly enough capacity.

If you are going to keep the iron out of your pool, you must get out the iron that is now visible first and then continually use water from your whole house softener.

 

[Ya-Man]

Yes. The filters I’m talking about are the house filters that filter the water coming in from well. I have turned them back on. Hopefully this sloves the rusty water.